Inspiring Women Magazine May 2021

PROFILE
Finding Work-Life
Balance
Nicola Haastert, member of AIWC
Düsseldorf, switched careers to
become a Reiki practitioner as a
way to improve her own work-life
balance.
Nicola Haastert
I was born in 1970 as the only child to a scientist
father with a PhD in nuclear physics and my mom
turning in her office manager job after I was born
to become a dedicated housewife. We lived in a
typical German neighborhood, and I enjoyed
track, tennis, ballroom dancing and hanging out
with my friends. I regularly spent my vacations
with my grandparents. Grandma cultivated a huge
garden with fruits, veggies and herbs (we would
call it organic today), and my grandpa was a gifted
craftsman who taught me all you need to do
around a house.
My hometown of approx. 30,000 inhabitants had
a very international structure, as one of the
biggest employers was the nuclear research
center. So I encountered foreign exchanges at a
very early stage of my life, and for me expat work
was quite normal, even though my parents never
lived abroad.
At 17, I took the opportunity to spend a senior
high school year in Minneapolis, MN. Living with a
beautiful host family was a great experience of
daily American life and friendship. Thanks to the
invention of internet and social platforms, I am
still in contact with my family and many friends
from 1987–1988.
Leaving home
After my German Abitur (high school diploma), I
went to study economics with majors in auditing,
tax and international business in the city of
Marburg. This very picturesque town, with its
ancient alleys and the castle high above, offered a
vibrant student life, and here I also met my future
husband, whom I married in 1997 and with whom
I spent 30 years.
After university, I signed up with Pricewaterhouse
Coopers and became a state appointed tax
consultant (1999) and public auditor (2001). I
worked in a leading position until 2012.
A love of travel
Me in the 1970s
Together with my husband, I loved to travel to
foreign countries, experience their culture, life
and especially the food, and capture the best and
most precious moments in pictures with my
camera. Time at home we usually spent with our
best friends from high school and university times
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